Sectional venetian blind



April 8, 1941. H. A. ADAMS ET AL SECTIONAL VENETIAN BLIND 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' 3 HAROLD 1L ADAMS INVENTORS.

{ LL/4RD B. FI

H W3 ELL w M ATTORNEY.

April 18, 1 A H. A. ADAMS ETAL 2237.539

- 'SECTIQNAL VENE'YIAN BLIND Filed April 12,- 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- f1 .5 rm .4. 77; Q9

HAROLDA. .AQDAMS and Pg/LLARD .B-FILES WWW.

INVENTORS.

I Apr. 8, 1941 UNITED FICE SECTIONAL VENETIAN BLIND Harold A. Adams and Willard B. Files, Bakersfield, CallL, assignors o1 one-fourth. to Ruth P. Ingalls, Bakersfield, GaliL, threewighths to Marion T. Hallock,

Delano, CaliL, and said Files asslg'nor of three-sixteenth; to Ralph V. Anderson, Bakersfield, Calif.

Application April 12, 1939, Serial No. 267,360

6 Claims. (Cl. 156-bit Our invention relates to blinds of the type lrnown as venetian wherein slats or blades are suspended in horizontal, spaced relation, and rc-- lates in particular to .a Venetian blind having a number of sections one above the other, which sections may be independently adjusted to open and closed position.

ln customary Venetianblind construction the blades are suspended by pairs of vertical tapes which pass along the edges of the blades and support crossing tapes on which the blades hang. lideans are provided for moving the vertical tapes in opposite vertical direction so as to rotate the blades relative to axes which extend. lengthwise or the blades, this making it possible to rotate the blades l'rom horizontal position to either upward or downward sloping position whereby passage of light and air through the blind may be controlled. In some of these Venetian blinds it is possible to manually adjust individual blades by swinging them in the suspending loops provided by the small tapes which extend irom one suspending tape to the other. lit is an oblect oi our invention to provide a Venetian blind having a phu'ality oi blind sections, each section consisting at a complement oi blades or slats, each blind section having separate means for its adjust-- ment whereby all ot the blades in any blind section may be simultaneously adjusted independently ot the adjustment of the other blind section or sections.

lit is a further object of the invention to provide simple and inenpensive adjusting means tor a sectional venetian blind, which adjusting means occupies substantially the same amount or space as the standard type oi adjusting means employed in single section blinds.

is a iurther oblect oi the invention to pro vide a sectional Venetian blind wherein the several sections are suspended by separate sets at tapes. certain of these tapes being placed in overlapping relation in a novel manner.

iurther object oi the invention is to provide a sectional li'enetian blind having several blind sections, with separate actuating means for the blind section located at the upper edge of the blind structure.

it lurthcr object oi the invention is to provide a Venetian blind having several independent blind sections and independent actuating means tor the blind sections disposed so as to operate on a single aids placed at a horizontal edge of the blind.

lit is a iurther object of the invention to provide a Venetian blind having several independent blind sections and having actuating means tor the blind sections supported in such relation that one actuating means operates within the other.

lit is a i'urther object of the invention to provide a Venetian blind having a lower blind sec-,

tion and an upper blind section and novel means for independently supporting the lower blind section in a position below the upper blind. section.

A further objector the invention is to provide a simple connector means for upper and lower tape suspensions in a Venetian blind structure of the character described.

lit is a further object oi" the invention to pro vide a Venetian blind wherein the supporting tapes oi an upper blind section overhang or overlie the tapes of the neat lower blind section.

it further object of the invention is to provide a Venetian blind having an upper blind section wherein blades are supported by tapes and a lower blind section. supported by tapes which pass under and are substantially concealed by the supporting tapes oi the upper blind section.

l urther objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following part oi the specification.

Referring to the drawings which are for villustrative purposes only;

Fig. l is a partly sectioned plan view of a preierred term or my invention.

Fig. b is a partly sectioned lace view oi the invention with the blind part in lowered position.

big. it is a cross-section to enlarged scale talren substantially as indicated by the line ttt oi Fig. 2, the upper and lower blind sections being brolren apart and with blades removed. r

Fig. is a partly sectioned end view at the blind support.

big. o a a tragmentary perspective view show ing the lower portion at the upper blind section. and the upper portion oi the blind section.

Fig. ii is a section to reduced scale talren as indicated by the line iii-d oi big.

Fig. 'l is an enlarged sectional view showing the interior oi the clamp ll! oi 2.

its shown in big. it, which pictures a small size blind made in accordance with our invention. there are upper and lower blind sections it and ii. The upper section it comprises a plurality oi slats or blades lit, and the lower section comaprises a plurality of slats or blades it, the blades it being referred to as the upper blades, and the blades it being referred to as the lower blades for the reason that they are respectively in the upper and lower sections. The upper and lower sections it and it may be operated separately. For enample, as shown in Fig. 2 the blades it may be adjusted to horiaontal position, and the lower blades it may be adjusted to angled or closed position to shut oft light through the lower section i l while tree passage oi light and ventilation through the upper section it is maintained. With reterencc to one side oi the blind, for example the inner side, the blades of each section may be independently adjusted trom downwadly sloping position through horizontal position to upwardly sloping position.

When the blind is in lowered position as shown in Fig. 2 the upper blades |2 are supported by suspension'elements including tapes l4 and II which are spaced apart in horizontal direction so as to extend vertically across the edges of the blades l2, and horizontal tapes I! which extend below the respective blades l2 and have the ends thereof connected to the tapes l4 and. II, the upper connecting tape it being secured to the lower face of the upper blade l2" by means of small staples ll, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower ends of the tapes l4 and i5, indicated by the numerals l6 and I3, project below the upper blade l3 of the lower section II, and black bodies of metal 20 may be employed within these end portions to serve as weights to cause the lower ends of the tapes l4 and I6 to hang straight.

The lower blades i3 are carried by suspension means including tapes 2| and 22 which pass the edges of the upper blades l2 without connection thereto; lower tapes 23 and 24. the upper ends of which are connected respectively to the lower ends of the tapes 2| and 22, and lateral tapes 26, the ends of which are connected to the tapes 23 and 24 so as to support certain of the blades l3. The lower ends of the tapes 2 3 -and 24 are secured at 26 to the bottom blade ill) of the lower section II, this bottom blade ordinarily being considerably thicker than the remaining blades of the .blind so as to give the same added weight to assure that the blind will hang relatively taut. The entire blind is hung from a suitable support which may. include a horizontal member 21, and actuating means 28 and 26 are provided respectively for the upper and lower sections I and II.

' Such actuating means include rotary members 30 to which the upper ends of the tapes I4 and I6 are secured, and rotary members 3| to which the upper ends of the tapes 2| and 22 are secured. When the rotary members 30 are rotated,

one of the tapes connected thereto will move up while the other of the tapes will move down. For example should the rotary members 36 be rotated in clockwise direction from the positions thereof indicated in Fig. 3 the tapes M will be lifted and the tapes l will be lowered, causing the upper blades |2 to tilt to an angle corresponding to the angle at which the blades |3 are shown in Fig. 3. Likewise should the rotary members 30 be rotated in anti-clockwise direction from the position thereof indicated in Fig. 3,

tapes 2| will be lowered and tapes 22 will be raised so that the blades 3 will be rotated toward or through horizontal position.

The actuating means 28 comprises a hollow structure which is rotatable on the horizontal axis defined by a shaft 32, this hollow structure including a pair of the rotary members 36, a tube 33 which is disposed between the rotary members 33 and is rigidly connected thereto, and end a tubes 34 and 35. As best shown in Fig. 1 the rotary members 30 include spaced plates 36 provided with hubs 31 to receive the ends of the respective tubes 33, 34 and 35, and cylindric walls 33 connecting the ends ofthe spaced plates 36. Accordingly, each rotary member 30 when viewed from above appears as a rectangular frame. The extremity of the tube 34 abuts a bracket 33 which projects downward from the horizontal supporting member '21, but the end tube 36 passes through and is rotatable in an opening 4|! in a bracket 4| which projects downward from the supporting member 21. Operating mean 42 for the first actuating means 28 is shown in Fig. 4 as comprising a gear segment 43 fixed on the extremity of' the tube 36. a worm screw 44 supported by -a bearing 46 in position to engage the gear segment 43. a sprocket 46 mounted on the forward end of a shaft 41 which extends through the bearing 46 and carries the worm 'screw 44 and a ball-type chain 46 which runs over the sprocket 46, there being knobs 46 on the hanging ends of the chain 46 by which a downward pull may be applied to either side of the chain so as to rotate the sprocket as desired to cause the wormscrew 44 to rotate the gear segments 43 and the actuating means 23 to which the member 43 is attached.

The shaft 32 forms a part of the second actuating means 29, projects through an opening in the bracket 33, extends through the tubes34 and 36, and preferably enters the tube 36 so that this shaft passes through both of the spaces 56 within the rotary members 30 which form parts of the first actuating means 28. In each of the spaces III a rotary member 3| is fixed on the shaft 32, so that the said rotary members 3| may be rotated 'so as to adjust the lower blind section through turning of the shaft by an op crating means 6| comprising a gear segment 62 mounted on. the end of the shaft 32 which projects from the bracket 36, a worm 53 supported on a shaft 64 which extends through a bearing 56 and has a sprocket 56 on its forwardly pro- Jecting end, and a chain 61 having knobs 68 on the hanging ends thereof. The rotary members 3| each include a diametrally extending web 59 with cylindric end walls 60 and radial walls II, the upper ends of thetapes 2| and 22 being carried upward over the outer faces of the cylindric walls 60 and secured to the radial walls 6|.

The tapes 2| and 22 are preferably narrower than the tapes l4 and I5, and in the preferred practice of the invention pass downward under the tapes l4 and I5. Notches 62, as clearly shown in Fig.5, may be provided in the edges of the upper blades l2 for passage of the tapes 2| and 22. The lower nds of the tapes 2| and 22 are connected to the upper ends of the tapes 23 and 24 by means of connector plates 83 which are secured by screws 64 to the upper blade l3 of the lower blind section II. As shown in Fig. 6 each connector plate 63 may consist of a sheet metal stamping having a transverse section 65 with a slot 66 therein and rectangular end loops 6!, the opening of each loop 61 being crossed by a bar 68. The bar 66 extends parallel and close to the edge of the blade l3 and may be cut in' the center so asv to provide a space 69 through which a loop 10, formed onthe upper end of a tape 23 or 24, may be passed so as to hang the loop 10 from the bar as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Into the ends of the transverse member 65 slats II are cut so as to form fingers 12 in position to underlie the edges of the blade l3 in parallel relation to the bars 66. Loops 13 formed these cords having their lower ends secured to the bottom member 1322 and being extended up through openings or slots 65' in the blades l2 and I3 to small pulleys 16 supported in the supporting member 21. These cords pass from the pulleys 16 through a channel I! in the member t1 and are bent down over pulleys 18 near the right end of the member 21 and pass through a simpleclutch devic 19 so as to provide a de pending loop 80 by which the lift cords 14 may be pulled so as to raise the blind. The blind may be lifted to any desired extent with the upper and lower sections I0 and II thereof in A further feature of the invention consists in the provision of means for holding the tapes l4 and I5 taut when the upper blades I! are sisting of resilient plates 8| providing fingers which project below the lower edges of the cylindric walls 38 of the rotary members 30, the upper ends of the tapes l4 and I5 being secured to the walls 38 by the upper portions of the plates Bl which are clamped against the upper ends of the tapes l4 and I5 by screws 82. either cylindric wall 38 is lowered from horizontal positionas shown in Fig. 3, the lower portions of the plates 8| will press inward against the upper end portions of'the associated tapes I4 and [5, thereby stretching these tapes taut.

As shown in the fragmentary detail Fig. 7, the clutch means I9 comprises a plate 83 across which the cords 14 may pass and a movable clutch part 84 carried by a pivot 85 and urged in upward direction by means of a spring 86.

moved into angled position, such means con When When the cords 15 are pulled laterally in the may be replaced by other parts of equivalent function without departing from the spirit of the invention; therefore, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the structure herein disclosed but should be accorded full scope of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a Venetian blind of the character described, the combination of an upper blind section comprising a plurality of horizontal blades; upper suspension tapes extending vertically across the edges of said blades and supporting said blades; a lower blind section below said upper blind section comprising a plurality of horizontal lower blades; lower suspension tapes extending vertically across the edges of said lower blades and supporting the same; connector plates connected to the upper ends of said suspension tapes; outer rotary means disposed at the upper edge of said upper blind section and being connected to the upper ends of said upper suspension tapes so that rotation of said rotary means will move said upper suspension tapes in oppobers extending downward from said inner rotary means under said upper suspension tapes and having the lower ends thereof connected to said connector plates so that rotation of said inner rotary means will be transmitted through said suspension member to said lower, suspension tapes to move the same in opposite directions.

2. In a Venetian blind of the character described, the combination of: a first blind section comprising blades with aligned notches in the edges thereof, and first suspension means for said blades positioned so as to lie over said notches; a second blind section comprising a plurality of blades and a 'second suspension means for said blades of said second blind section traversing said blades of said first blind section, and lying in notches under said first suspension means; and 'means for adjustably supporting said first and second suspension means.

" 3. For use in a sectional Venetian blind, of the character described, having a plurality of blind sections each comprising a plurality of blades, with separate suspension means for the blades of the different sections; a guide plate to be secured in a position extending across one of the blade members of a blind section, said plate having guide openings in theends thereof to receive selected suspension means.

4. For use in a sectional Venetian blind, of the character described, having a plurality of blind sections each comprising a plurality of blades, with separate suspension means for the blades of the different sections; a connector plate to be secured in a position extending across one of the blade members of a blind section, said plate having means at the ends thereof for connection to suspension means.

5. For'use in a sectional Venetian blind, of the character described, having a plurality of blind sections each comprising a plurality of blades,

with separate suspension means for the blades of P the different sections; a connector and guide plate to be secured in a position extending across one of the blade members of a blind section, said plate having means at the ends thereof for connection to selected members of said suspension means and loops providing guide openings to receive other of said suspension means.

6. In a sectional Venetian blind ofthe character described, the combination of a horizontal bar; supports at the ends of said bar; a plurality of approximately rectangular frames having walls in crossing relation to said bar, there being openings in said walls through which said bar passes; spacer members lying along said bar, the ends of said spacer members being connected to said frames so as to join the same into a structure substantially coextensive with said bar; rocker members secured to said bar within said frame: blade suspension members extending downward from the outer portions of said frame blade suspension members extending downward from the outer portions of said rocker arm; means contiguous to one of said supports to rotate said bar on its axis; and means connected to said structure which includes said frames, for rotating said structure so as to simultaneously rotate said frames independently of the rotation of said bar and the rocker arms secured thereto.

' HAROLD A. ADAMS.

WILLARD B. .FILES. 

